Recently I also bought Tournament Blackjack but its not working properly. If I click the "Rules" command or use the command alt + U, I get the message "Illegal function call" and the program shuts down. So I can’t change the number of players, the number of decks, whether the dealer stands on soft 17 etc.. Does anyone have the same problem? And does anyone know a solution or a workaround? I contacted Pi Yee press but they didn’t reply my mail.
Apart from that I´m quite disappointed by the very poor graphics of the program and the fact that a surrender option is not available.

I don't have the software, but I know it's pretty ancient. Do you have Windows 7? That could be the problem; it may not be compatible. It would appear to be 16-bit software, written for Windows 3.0, but compatible with XP, according to the advertising.

I don't have Windows 7, as well as not having Wong's software, so I can't offer much assistance, but I gather there may be less support for old, 16-bit software than in previous versions.

If that is the problem, it may be possible to get around it using one of various 'compatibility mode' options, but I don't really know. (And this might also depend on the precise version of Windows 7. In particular, it may be more difficult, or even impossible, if you have a 64-bit version of Windows, rather than 32-bit.)

P.S. If you have XP, it might also be that a 'compatibilty mode' could help you.

I have Wongs Tournament Blackjack Version 1.03. Software. Have they developed a later version or is it still the same?

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Still the same thing. An outdated piece of software for which they charge $49.95 plus shipping.
@ London Collin:
Windows compatibility doesn’t work for me. I have two computers, one with Windows Vista, the other with Windows XP. The compatibility-mode in both systems doesn’t go back further than Windows 95 (a 32-bits system) which doesn’t solve the problem. But thanks for the suggestion.

I have never understood why Norm Wattenburger from Casino Verite has not as yet produced a dedicated software programme for tournament blackjack play.

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I think I read somewhere that there is at least a basic tournament mode within Casino Verite.

If you mean you wish he'd produce something more sophisticated, I suspect the reason for not doing so may be that there just wouldn't be the demand to justify the development costs. We are, after all, quite a small band.

@ London Collin:
Windows compatibility doesn’t work for me. I have two computers, one with Windows Vista, the other with Windows XP. The compatibility-mode in both systems doesn’t go back further than Windows 95 (a 32-bits system) which doesn’t solve the problem. But thanks for the suggestion.

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You could also try fiddling with the screen resolution / number of colours, on the same compatibility tab, if setting it to Windows 95 mode alone didn't work.

The advertising does say that it's compatible with XP, so if there were any compatibility hoops to jump through, you would think instructions would be supplied. I'm probably barking up the wrong tree.

Are you getting the same error on both your PCs?

If all else fails, you might be able to ge hold of a Windows 3.x bootable CD or floppy disk (if either of your PCs has a drive for the latter), and try running it from there.

I think I read somewhere that there is at least a basic tournament mode within Casino Verite.

If you mean you wish he'd produce something more sophisticated, I suspect the reason for not doing so may be that there just wouldn't be the demand to justify the development costs. We are, after all, quite a small band.

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Hi Colin,

There is a basic tournament mode in Casino Verite and yes I did mean that they would produce something more sophisticated.

Regarding the demands and justification for development of software for Blackjack tournament play. Casino Verite produces software for Shuffle-tracking and Ace Sequencing. I may be wrong, but I think that the card counters who would buy this software are in a smaller pond than us.

I have emailed Casino Verite to enquire if they are considering producing anything around BJ tournaments and will post if I get a reply.

Anyway Colin, you are pretty savvy around computers and know the strategies of the tourney game. Why don’t you apply yourself over the next few months and develop some software yourself for your mates on here.

CVBJ originally supported tournaments and the old version is still distributed on the CD for the new versions. But, it became dated, so I removed the features. Same reason I pulled my Video Poker software off the market. I started developing a new piece of software dedicated to tourny’s, but put it on the shelf years ago. I need to get back to it. Problem is, I’ve never managed to think up a flexible enough method of defining strategies. Hey, if the folk on Ken’s site have some ideas along this line, it would help.

There is a basic tournament mode in Casino Verite and yes I did mean that they would produce something more sophisticated.

Regarding the demands and justification for development of software for Blackjack tournament play. Casino Verite produces software for Shuffle-tracking and Ace Sequencing. I may be wrong, but I think that the card counters who would buy this software are in a smaller pond than us.

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You could be right, but I think that that software was probably a lot easier to produce than a really good tournament product would be. Quite a bit of time and effort would need to spent just deciding what things the product should be able to do, let alone figuring out how to make it do them.

If the main goal is to produce a practice tool, with robot players that accurately mimic humans of differing skill levels, then that is quite an undertaking. And Ken has written in the past about the computational difficulties involved in generating the absolute best bet (or best action) when more than two players are involved, which might also be one of the goals.

By contrast, modelling decks of cards and how they rearrange themselves through various different shuffling techniques seems like a doddle!

[I see from Norm's reply to you that the difficulties involved in specifying player strategies caused work on a possible product to stall.]

Anyway Colin, you are pretty savvy around computers and know the strategies of the tourney game. Why don’t you apply yourself over the next few months and develop some software yourself for your mates on here.

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Ha! It's over four years now since I first started getting interested in blackjack and in tournaments[*]. Almost from the very start I had in mind that I might combine hobby with profession by developing some BJ-related software. I'm sad to report that I have yet to produce anything, though I have any number of half-completed projects waiting for me to return to them.

So I think I'll make a belated new-year's resolution to get at least something completed before the year is out, but you'll have to keep pestering Norm if you want your tournament software any time soon.

[*] I know this because I recall discussing the World Cup in the chat at Global, and it's that time again. (And, for those who do not follow these things, we have June 12th, England vs U.S.A to look forward to. Will it be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_v_United_States_(1950) all over again? )

Can I get a copy of Stanford Wong's Tournament Blackjack software from anyone? I'm willing to pay? I tried to purchase off the BJ21.com website and was told it's been out of print for years. I had a copy but my computer died. Please contact me direct, I loved the software. michael.rinaldi@mac.com or text 520-289-5374

tuscon, on BJ21 you wrote: "The program has prevented many sleepless nights following questionable plays in tournaments."

I have my own software which can analyze tournament situations. While I can't provide it to you, for several reasons, I can use it to analyze situations of interest to you. Others here may also be interested in the results. Until you are able to replace your software, I suggest you post these situations in the Blackjack Tournament Strategy forum.